THE DUST TO EARTH, THE SPIRIT TO GOD, 



DISCOURSE 



DELIVERED BEFORE 



THE CONGREGATIONAL SOCIETY 



WATERTO WN, 



SUNDAY, MARCH 17, 1833 



BY CONVERS FRANCIS, 

CONGREGATIONAL MINISTER OF WATERTOWN. 



PUBLISHED BY REQUEST OF THE HEARERS. 



BOSTON: 
I. R. BUTTS, SCHOOL STREET 
1833. 



DISCOURSE. 



ECCLESIASTES, XII, 7. 

* Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was, and the spirit shall 
return unto God who gave it.' 

The wise king of Israel here describes in brief 
the two component parts of which man is constitu- 
ted, — body, the part allied to dust, — and spirit, 
the part allied to God. He had just given a beau- 
tiful description of the days of weakness and dis- 
solution, which sooner or later must come to ev- 
ery human being. The several parts in the process 
of this work of decay he sets forth in striking and pic- 
turesque images, which give us as vivid a representa- 
tion as if the whole had come from the hands of a paint- 
er ; and the last scene he sketches in the expressive 
words of the text, 'then shall the dust return to the 
earth as it was, and the spirit shall return unto God 
who gave it.' 

The word which is here translated spirit has giv- 
en occasion to differences of interpretation. By 
some it is supposed to mean, not the soul or the in- 
tellectual part of man, but the vital breath, or prin- 
ciple of life ; when this is said to return to God, the 
meaning is just the same as to say, that the person 



4 



dies, or that the breath of life is rendered back to 
Him who gave it. This is generally the interpretation 
of those, who suppose that in the Old Testament 
there is no distinct and positive exhibition of the 
doctrine of a future state of existence. But this ex- 
planation of the word in question, seems at least 
somewhat unnatural and forced. Spirit here stands 
in contrast, or antithesis, to the body, and would 
therefore seem most properly to signify the soul, or 
spiritual principle in man. This signification the 
word undoubtedly sometimes bears in the Hebrew 
Scriptures ; it would certainly appear to require such 
an interpretation in the passage before us, if in any 
place. 

When it is said that 'the dust shall return to the 
earth as it was,' there is a manifest allusion to that 
sentence recorded in the first part of the book of 
Genesis, in which God is represented as saying to dis- 
obedient man, ' dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou 
return.' In this sentence we trace the same figura- 
tive character, which prevails throughout the record 
of the creation of the world, of the animals, and es- 
pecially of man. When it is said that God formed 
the human body from the dust of the earth, the ex- 
pression is evidently a figurative one, to signify the 
frail and perishing nature of the body. The idea is 
not physically true, at least so far as we may judge 
from what we now know of the composition of the hu- 
man frame. But, we must remember that this 
early record of creation is fashioned according to the 
conceptions, which naturally prevailed in the first 
rude ages of the world. Now the obvious process 



5 



of thought would lead to such a representation as 
that which we here find. It was observed that 
when the body, upon the change produced by death, 
fell into a state of decay and dissolution, it was 
found to crumble into dust and ashes. In speaking 
of the origin of the body, therefore, it was natural 
for man, in the simplicity of that early period of spec- 
ulation, to ascribe its composition to the same sub- 
stance, into which it appeared to be resolved after 
the organization of life had ceased, and to say 
that it was formed from the dust of earth, because 
it turned to dust at last. In this, as in other instan- 
ces, we see how unjust and irrational it would be to 
look for scientific accuracy, or philosophical precis- 
ion, in the records of creation, composed in conform- 
ity with the rude conceptions of mankind in the 
earliest ages of the world. It is more to the pur- 
pose of edification to remark, that the image by 
which the origin of the body is thus described, is 
well adapted to express the frailty and short dura- 
tion of our animal frame ; and to this moral purpose 
alone can we make an application of it. 

Having offered these preliminary observations, I 
proceed to remark that the text leads us to consider 
the two component parts of man's constitution, the 
bodily and spiritual, the mortal and the immortal 
part. These two should ever be considered in their 
mutual connection, since God has placed them to- 
gether, and united them by subtile and mysterious 
ties, which, if we cannot explain, we can at least 
observe. Some unhappy errors, both in speculation 
and practice, have arisen from separating in our 



6 



thoughts what God has thus joined for wise pur- 
poses. The influence of each part upon the other is 
too plain and striking to be mistaken ; and if we 
will not receive or construe our being as God has 
given it, we shall pervert it from its true purpose, 
and fail of deriving from it the happiness and im- 
provement it was designed to afford. 

] . It is affirmed that * the dust shall return to the 
earth, as it was.' This bodily frame shall at last 
dissolve, and crumble into its elementary parts. 
Thus frail and perishable is its nature, because it was 
designed to answer only a temporary purpose. Yet, 
however inferior the body may be in its constitution, 
or brief in its duration, when compared with our 
better part, still it is such a structure as ought to 
draw from us expressions of admiration and grati- 
tude to that Divine Wisdom which hath framed it. 
It seems ever to have been the error of mankind, to 
carry to an extravagant length sentiments in them- 
selves good. Thus because the animal frame is, in 
its nature and purposes, inferior to the undying spirit, 
it has been thought that no measure should be ob- 
served in vilifying and degrading it. This has been 
particularly the case with certain speculative minds, 
and certain stern religionists, who have made high 
pretensions to spirituality, but who have forgotten 
that in order to be spiritual it is not necessary to 
despise or underrate any of God's gifts, and that 
the body is his gift as well as the soul. Some of 
the ancient philosophers considered all the evil in 
the world as owing to the mind's being forced into 
union with matter in this state of being ; and one of 



7 



them went so far as to declare that he was ashamed 
of having a body. To the same way of thinking 
we are to ascribe these unreasonable penances and 
absurd mortifications of the flesh, to which monks 
and other fanatics have resorted in different periods 
of the history of the church, their self-inflicted tor- 
tures, their scourgings, their fastings, their standing 
for a long time in the most painful positions, their liv- 
ing in caves and deserts, and the other expedients, 
by which they endeavored to do as much violence as 
possible to the body, to bid defiance to its wants, to 
crush its natural propensities, and to inflict upon it 
chastisement as upon a criminal, vainly imagining 
that in proportion as the animal frame was tortured 
and beaten down, the soul would be purified and 
saved. These extravagances have for the most part 
passed away from the christian world ; but remnants 
of the same influence and the same way of thinking, 
are still seen among us in that irrational and fanati- 
cal spirit, with which the innocent enjoyments 
of life, and the harmless pleasures of the body, are 
sometimes denounced as if they were deadly sins, or 
at least unworthy of the christian character. The 
body, which God has constituted, and given for our 
use and our help, should not be thus vilified. It is 
;in itself a monument to the wisdom and goodness of 
the Creator. Its parts and functions bear witness 
to the skill and power of a designing cause ; inso- 
much, that among the various marks and indications, 
by which the attention of man is led from the out- 
ward works upward to the Great Agency of the 
universe, there are none more striking and powerful 



8 



than those furnished by the structure of our own 
bodies ; and perhaps more doubters have been con- 
vinced, and more believers confirmed, by the anato- 
my of the human frame, or by the construction of 
some of its parts, than by any other facts in the ex- 
ternal world. Then, too, the body, if it be wisely 
governed, and its several functions used with that 
temperance which is their law of happiness and 
health, becomes the source of various enjoyments, 
not enjoyments of the highest order indeed, but still 
such as should excite the offering of gratitude to 
Him who opens for us these sources of innocent 
pleasures. 

For these reasons, no one should despise the body. 
It is the workmanship of God, and to be held and 
used with gratitude and in wisdom. But, after all, 
it is merely the instrument of the soul ; and when 
in the councils of God, its purpose has been answer- 
ed, it is thrown by as an instrument no longer useful. 
Then, what we call death, takes place ; for death is 
only the dissolution of this external covering, this 
earthly lodgment of the mind. The manifestations 
of the soul towards the beings around, cease in 
that form. The eye, which brightened in the ex- 
pression of the interior life, is quenched and closed 
in darkness. The hand, which we were accustomed 
to take in testimony of kindness, now lies torpid and 
motionless, and returns not our grasp of friendship 
or anxiety. The voice, which welcomed us with 
the accents of affectionate interest, or imparted wise 
counsels and just thoughts, is now hushed in that 
deep silence which seems full of solemn mystery ; 



9 



and those lips open no more to tell us we are wel- 
come, or to give advice and consolation. Over that 
comitenance, on whicii the varied expressions of the 
mind were seated, a cold, blank, stern paleness 
has settled, and every feature is fixed in hard, 
unalterable, fearful sameness. And thus it is with 
that whole frame, which but recently was quick and 
vigorous as our own. Yes, it is as the preacher of 
Israel hath said, ' the dust returns to the earth as it 
was.' Thus ends the history of the body, the ani- 
mal frame; thus it has always ended ; thus it will al- 
ways end ; dust to dust, earth to earth, ashes to 
ashes. 

2. But this is not the whole of the history of that 
being called man. It is indeed but a part, and the 
least important part of it. For the voice of reason 
unites with that of Scripture in proclaiming, that ' the 
spirit returns unto God who gave it.' We have just 
spoken of the dissolution of the body ; and how prone 
we are to think, and to act as if we thought that 
this is the dissolution of the whole being I How 
hard it is to realize, when that which we have seen 
and heard is gone, that there is still something which 
lives, and thinks, and improves ! Our eyes see it 
not ; our ears hear it not ; our hand grasps it not. 
Where then, curiosity asks, anxiety intreats, where 
and what is it ? The answer is still in the words of 
the royal preacher, ' the spirit, the spirit, returns to 
God who gave it.' Yes, to God who gave it; it 
goes home to its Father's house ; it wings its flight 
back to the Source whence it came forth. That 
fire, over which it seemed as if the grave had 
2 



10 



placed an extinguisher, is lighted up again at the 
fountain of everlasting light. That vital principle of 
spiritual existence has left the form, in which for a 
while it was a tenant, and its dwelling-place now is 
nearer to the throne of the Eternal. God gave it 
says the preacher ; yes, and in giving it, he gave a 
pledge that it should not die. This pledge we have 
in its very nature, in w^hat it is, and what it does. 
The characters of immortality are stamped broadly 
and deeply on the soul. What is there in death, that 
extinguishes, or has a tendency to extinguish 
thought, and moral power, and spiritual improve- 
ment ? Nothing ; for it is simply a change with 
regard to organs and functions ; the principle which 
moved and acted by them is independent of them, 
and may take other forms or other instruments. 

In order to realize the truth of the spirit's immor- 
tality, it is necessary to have distinctly in view what 
this spiritual principle accomplishes, and how it de- 
velopes itself. What then do we see, when we look 
at those in whom the powers of the mind and heart 
are brought out and improved ? We see them gifted 
with capacities, which, when they have been extend- 
ed to the utmost, are still far within the range 
that they might take, and which have an appetite 
for knowledge and enlargement of thought, just as 
distinctly as the body has an appetite for food. We 
observe feelings and affections of a higher kind, 
than any which belong to earth, and which admit 
of a continually increasing purity, a continually ex- 
panding elevation. We see in them the proofs of a 
relation to God, which developes itself more and 



11 



more in proportion as it is cultivated, an opening of 
the soul, if I may so say, tovv^ards the great Source 
of being and happiness, a sentiment that there is a 
part of their nature which belongs to the Father of 
spirits, and can be satisfied with nothing less than 
His favor and approbation. We see them spending 
life in imitation of the example, and in obedience to 
the precepts of the Saviour, approving themselves 
to be his disciples, not merely by name and profes- 
sion, but by doing the things which he has com- 
manded, giving their hearts to God and to goodness 
by making it their meat and their drink to do the 
will of their Father in heaven. We see them labor, 
ing to do good among their fellow-men, to build up 
the cause of truth and righteousness, to spread the 
knowledge and the power of religion, to lighten the 
burdens of the oppressed, to relieve the distressed, 
to shed the solace of kindness over the calamities of 
their fellow-beings, to mitigate the pains of sickness, 
and to warm even the chill of death. We find them 
acting under the great law of duty, as under the 
presence of a divine principle, and listening with 
reverent obedience to the voice of conscience, as the 
echo of the voice of God. These, I say, are the 
manifestations of the spirit that dwells in man. These 
things we have all seen in the living, breathing, act- 
ing forms of those whom we have loved for their kind- 
ness, and respected for their many virtues. And now 
are we to suppose — can we believe — that all this 
is buried in the grave ? that these are things which 
can be blotted out forever by the change which death 
brings over these bodily organs ? As well might we 



12 

think that the dark clouds in the sky have quenched 
the light of the glorious sun in the firmament. No, 
oh no ; these are the works of the spiritual part of 
man ; and though the dust returns to the earth as it 
was, yet these not only survive, but go forth free 
from the embarrassments of earth into better scenes of 
action and enjoyment ; for all heaven and all earth, 
all reason and all revelation, echo from one to anoth- 
er the assurance, that ' the spirit shall return to God 
who gave it ; ' in what forms, and in what scenes, 
we know not ; but it shall return to God who gave 
it ; and they who have sought the kingdom of God 
and its righteousness, may well say with the Apos- 
tle of old, ' we know whom we have believed, and 
are persuaded that he is able to keep that which we 
have committed unto him against that day.' 

What, now, are the inferences, that should be 
drawn from the view which has been taken ? 

1. We should feel how much more worthy of our 
care and culture is the spirit, the immortal principle, 
than the animal frame, the perishable part of our 
constitution. I have already said that we are not to 
despise or neglect the body. It is given for pur- 
poses of usefulness and enjoyment, and for such it 
should be held. But we must never lose sight of 
the great fact, that its ofhce and nature are inferior 
and temporary, that the purpose for which this in- 
strument was made ceases with death, and that 
death is at hand with each one of us. How seldom, 
comparatively, is this just estimate formed and acted 
upon. Look round on the world, and observe how 
many there are, who think only, yes only, what 



13 



they shall eat, what they shall drink, and werewith- 
al they shall be clothed. What is it that calls forth 
the hardest labors, and engages the most watchful 
efforts of the mass of mankind ? What is it that 
clouds the brow with anxiety, and nerves the arm 
with strength, and kindles the zeal of competition ? 
Is it not, for the most part, the care of the body, 
or of that which is connected with the body ? Is it 
not to make provision for the comfort, the beauty, 
and the luxury of this animal frame, on which the 
traces of death are already drawn, and which, we 
know, must speedily return to the earth as it was ? 
Meanwhile, where is our care for the immortal part ? 
Where is the anxiety for spiritual culture ? Where 
is the provision for that imperishable element, the 
soul, which the foot of time can never tread out, 
which all the waters of death cannot extinguish ? 
Is not all this lamentably wanting ? Do not men 
slumber over the gift of God that lies within them, 
and go to their graves without knowing its worth ? 
My christian friends, let us, in all reason, form more 
just estimates, and act upon them ; let us believe 
that God has placed his image within us, and that 
it is found in the spiritual nature of every human 
being ; let us feel that we utterly mistake the whole 
purpose of existence, so long as we neglect the cul- 
ture and improvement of this nature ; and when the 
spirit shall be called to return to God who gave it, 
O let it return purified, and strengthened, and meet 
for its Father's house, adorned and refined in every 
feature of moral loveliness, and prepared for higher 
and better degrees of resemblance to the eternal 
Model of purity and holiness. 



14 



2. To the views that have now been presented, 
let us resort for consolation, when the good and the 
beloved are taken from us by death. It is the privi- 
lege and the glory of our religion, that we learn from 
it to think and speak of the departure of such, not 
as those would think and speak who have no hope. 
No hope ! O were it so, what should we be ? What 
should we be, if every hope w^ent down into the 
grave with the body which we deposit there amidst 
tears and lamentations ; and if when we return from 
that last sad service of humanity, we were compell- 
ed to say, all now is gone, all that we loved and re- 
spected, all that made us happy in the virtues of the 
departed, is now covered over with the coldness and 
darkness of everlasting sleep, and all is now closed 
up in endless oblivion. Were it so, it seems to me 
the very light of the sun would assume a pale and 
sickly hue, the earth would be wTapped in a cheer- 
less mist, and every beautiful star above would seem 
like a vast hearse bearing its inhabitants to the dark- 
ness of annihilation. But, blessed be God, the chris- 
tian has better thoughts than these, thoughts which 
cause the beautiful light of heaven to shine around 
the cloud of sorrow, and impart to it golden hues. W e 
bury the body, for that is the end, when it returns 
to earth as it was. But we do not bury, we cannot 
bury, the spiritual nature. God claims it back again ; 
and all the powers of earth cannot detain it. The 
virtuous and the beloved, then, are not lost. They 
have done good on earth ; they have followed in the 
steps of him, who lived and died to bless mankind ; 
they have brought the best offerings of their affections. 



15 



and the authority of their example to the cause of good- 
ness ; they have cultivated their moral nature under 
the influence of the principles of the Gospel, and they 
have been known, as our Saviour said his true disciples 
should be known, by their fruits. When the form in 
which they acted here is extinct, are they, the think- 
ing, spiritual agents, extinct ? Does not every feeling 
of the heart cry out against the supposition ? Yes, and 
to that feeling the voice of divine truth responds fully 
and strongly. Here then is our consolation when 
we mourn for the good ; ' they have finished their 
course, they have kept the faith ; henceforth there 
is laid up for them a crown of righteousness, which 
the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give them ' in 
the day of recompense. 

These are some of the reflections to which we 
are led by the passage of Scripture now before us. 
1 cannot but remark in this connection, that I am 
pleased to see that the solemn and impressive words 
of my text have been selected for an inscription over 
the lofty gateway leading to that beautiful Cemetry, 
which has recently been prepared in our vicinity. It 
is an appropriate and happy selection. Under the 
lovely forest shades, in the flowery nooks, by the 
pleasant walks, and in the beautiful solitudes of 
Mount Auburn, there will be gathered, as we may 
suppose, in the course of years, a great city of the 
dead. It is fitting that over the avenue to such a 
place it should be written, as it is, ' the dust shall 

RETURN TO THE EARTH AS IT WAS, AND THE SPIRIT 
SHALL RETURN UNTO GoD WHO GAVE IT.' It is 

thus we should think of our mortality, and with 



16 



these holy and gentle associations should it ever be 
blended. 

The admonitions of God's providence, my chris- 
tian friends have of late been much among us. The 
winter now passing away has been marked by an 
unusual number of deaths in our village ; and among 
these we have been called to follow to the grave? 
three of the most respected and beloved members of 
our church, in quick succession.* 

O. 'tis well 

With them. But who knows what the coming hour, 
Veil'd in thick darkness, brings for us ! 

What the morrow may bring forth, it is not for us 
to know. Well, then, we will go on our way, serving 
God and doing good to man ; we will remember 
what rewards there are for the faithful servant above ; 
and at the same time, like the good who have left 
us, we will remember that these rewards are to be 
won only by being faithful here to duty, to con- 
science, and to God. 

* Mrs Charlotte Whitney died February 17, aged 40 years ; Mrs 
Abigail Bemis February J 9, aged 75 years; and Miss Hannah S. 
Coolidge March 9, aged 46 years. 



